Cruising the Danube
(69 Reviews)
97% Recommended
Janetta Douglas
York, PA
Alaska Enthusiast
Nature in Alaska can be unpredictable, but if you are at the right place at the right time, it can be totally amazing. Picture yourself riding along on the only road in Denali National Park, and a wolf walks by your bus carrying ...
Nature in Alaska can be unpredictable, but if you are at the right place at the right time, it can be totally amazing. Picture yourself riding along on the only road in Denali National Park, and a wolf walks by your bus carrying a moose leg in it's mouth. Or imagine a cow moose stopping traffic while nursing her twin calves in the middle of the Denali Highway. How about the exhilaration of seeing a triple whale breech and a pod of whales bubble net feeding while on a whale watching excursion in Auke Bay, Alaska. Let me help you be in the right place at the right time to experience your "vacation of a lifetime" in Alaska.
I recently returned from a personal trip (even though I had 5 additional couples traveling with us) on a Danube River Cruise with Viking Cruises. This was my second time visiting some of the Eastern European countries, but my first time doing the river cruise on the Danube.
Since river cruising is a very relaxing way to travel, you can just sit back and view the beautiful scenery surrounding you on both sides of your longboat. However, with all the included and optional excursions that can be added to enhance your cruise experience, so much can be packed into your journey. And that is exactly how I like to spend my vacations.
On our recent vacation, we started with a 2-night pre-cruise hotel stay in Budapest. When booking the pre-cruise extension with Viking Cruises, we had a beautiful, centrally-located hotel, so restaurants and shopping were within walking distance. The extension also included the transfers between the airport/hotel and the hotel/pier. For our extra days in Budapest, we were able to choose from several optional excursions. Our first excursion was the “Highlights of Budapest”. This gave us a great overview of the city, including the Buda and Pest sides of the Danube River. We also got to eat a cup of hot goulash soup during an unusually hot, 98 degrees, day.
On our next free day in Budapest, we chose the “Szentendre & Open Air Museum” excursion. We strolled along the streets of Szentendre, a colorful village of galleries and artists. Our journey continued to Skanzen, a fascinating reconstructed village with structures from all over Hungary. I also assisted in a cooking demonstration for preparing gulyas, or goulash, which we all enjoyed as a light lunch.
That evening, we explored “Budapest By Night” on another excursion to view the city, also known as the “Paris of the East”. We could see illuminated landmarks such as the Liberty Bridge – the shortest bridge in the city that connects Buda and Pest, Gellert Hill, Heroes’ Square, and Andrassy Avenue.
Our first port to visit was beautiful Vienna. We chose the Viking included excursion of “Panoramic Vienna” which combines a motor coach and walking tour. We were able to travel on the Ringstrasse, see the Hofburg Palace, the winter residence of the Hapsburgs and home of the Spanish Riding School with its Lipizzaner horses, and also admire the Gothic St. Stephen’s Cathedral.
Our Viking longboat, the Viking Atla, overnighted in Vienna. This allowed us to explore a little further. Our next excursion took us to Bratislava, the intimate capital of Slovakia. Our motor coach traveled the narrow, winding road that led us up to Bratislava Castle to view the city below. We then descended to Old Town for a walking tour and leisure time. A perfect opportunity to taste some yummy gelato.
Our evening was spent enjoying a “Mozart & Strauss Concert”. For someone who doesn’t necessarily choose to listen to classical music, I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the entire concert. Honestly, I was truly not ready for it to end.
The next port on our cruise was Krems, Austria. Today’s excursion took us to “Gottweig Abbey”. The scenic drive took us to the Benedictine monastery, which is located on a hilltop overlooking the splendid Wachau Valley and Danube River. We were welcomed to the Abbey with a glass of sparkling apricot wine or juice that is produced in the region. We could admire the ornate and colorful interior of the Abbey, and climb the Imperial Staircase to view the largest and most spectacular ceiling frescoes in the world. They were absolutely stunning.
The following day found us in Passau, Germany, where three European rivers converge to shape a distinctive city. Our local guide led us on a walking tour through the delightful old-world streets with pastel rainbow building facades. Our walk concluded at the 17th century St. Stephen’s Catherdral which houses Europe’s largest pipe organ, with more than 17,000 pipes.
Our awesome Viking River Cruise ended in Regensburg, Germany. We chose an excursion to see the “Munich Highlights”. The panoramic tour of this Bavarian capital drove us past Olympiapark, which was constructed for the 1972 Olympics. Afterwards, we visited the Marienplatz, the city’s main square. Here, we could admire the gabled roof and bell tower of the Old Town Hall. And at the New Town Hall, we witnessed the famous Glockenspiel come to life at noon, and watch the much- larger-than-life cuckoo clock.
Unfortunately, this magical Danube River Cruise vacation had to come to an end. Despite some absolutely crazy weather in late August/early September (first three days at 98 degrees, followed by the next three days in the upper 50’s), river cruising is the perfect way to see this area of Eastern Europe.